inputrc issue

How do I get octave to read my ~/.inputrc file on Linux? Important info:
Octave 2.1.71 on Red Hat Linux

When I use the same ~/.inputrc on Cygwin, it works great. This is my
~/.inputrc:

"\M-p": history-search-backward
"\M-n": history-search-forward
Where does Octave read the global inputrc?
Thanks.
Mike
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